Not Another Disney High School Story!

by Hyenastho

Yet another Disney high school story, but with a twist! In this mostly satirical send-up of the 2 most common types of Fanfiction stories (Mary-Sue & gratuitously erotic), a sarcastic protagonist is transported to an alternate world & given a ridiculous task: seduce as many Disney princesses as possible or never return home. Rated T for now, until it gets more scandalous.

19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

When I came to, I was naked.

Wait! No I wasn't. But I was only in my boxer-briefs, and I was lying in a bed that I didn't recognize. I couldn't really see that well (my eyes still burned something terrible, but it was more like an after-burn than it was an active feeling of them being roasted alive), but I could see that I was in a drab, mostly unfurnished, and dimly lit room, with not much else other than an old TV and a dresser taking up any space.

Or maybe it had plenty of lighting and I only thought that it was dimly lit because I was still recovering from my hopefully temporary blindness.

Whatever the reason, I didn't see the shadowy figure sitting atop the dresser in the far corner across from me until it hopped down.

"Holy shit!" I gasped, trying to sit up and either flee or defend myself.

But I was still too disoriented to do much other than sort of flop around lamely, like a turtle flipped over on its back.

"Whoa, hey, chill out, buddy. Don't want you to hurt yourself now."

The voice was that of an adolescent male's, a little high-pitched and with more than a hint of mischief. I still couldn't see the speaker's face, but he looked to be on the shorter side and skinny. He had moved with a surprising amount of agility and grace, making me wonder if he had ever had gymnastics training.

I could also hear several voices in another room arguing about something, but they were too far away and muffled for me to make out anything that was being said.

As if reading my thoughts, the boy said, "They're arguing about you, you know."

My voice was hoarse. "Who?"

"Esmeralda. And Aladdin. With Clopin. And I don't know who else. I don't think Clopin is very happy that you're here."

"I don't even know how I got here," I mumbled.

"You don't?" he asked. "Oh wow." He hesitated and when he spoke again, his voice had some vulnerability to it. "But you do remember what we did at least, right?"

I frowned. "Huh?"

He gasped, a hand going up to his chest. "You mean…you don't remember…?" He let out a hushed little whimper. "But-but-you said that I was your best ever! And-and-afterwards, you said that you loved me!"

Wait, WHAT?!

I suddenly felt like my stomach had tumbled into a gaping chasm of eternal freefall. My heart started to pound in my chest as panic began to rise.

"Wait, wha-what are you saying?" I stammered, trying not to freak out completely.

But I was totally starting to freak out completely.

The boy let out a loud sob and covered his face with his hands, his skinny shoulders trembling as he began to weep. "You lying bastard! You told me you loved me and now you don't even remember! You probably say that to ALL the girls, don't you?!"

This couldn't be true.

No way.

No fucking WAY!

There was no way that I had come to this godforsaken realm with the sole intention of fornicating with the movie princesses of my childhood and had somehow ended up DOING THE NASTY WITH A DUDE!

Now it was my turn to start crying.

"Oh, GAWD!" I started to bawl. "What is this horrible place?!"

Before I could really get too far into my distraught sobs, I was interrupted by the boy's sudden uncontrollable laughter. He was laughing so hard that he was actually jumping up and down in hysterics as he shrieked with giggles.

My eyes narrowed.

"Wait a second…"

"Oh man!" he crowed, practically doubled over. "If you could have seen your face! Priceless!"

"You little asshole," I growled, but I was too incredibly relieved and exhausted to work up sufficient anger. "When my vision comes all the way back, you better pray I don't recognize you."

"I'm sorry, chief, I couldn't resist." He giggled again and then took a deep breath to calm himself. "You really believed me, didn't you?"

"What can I say, you were pretty convincing."

His smile faded a bit. "Wait, but I don't actually, like, or-do I…do I look like I'd be into dudes?"

"Well yeah, obviously."

"Wait, seriously?" he asked, his voice going a notch higher. "Aw man! It's because of my stupid eyelashes, I swear, I'm gonna cut them off! Everybody always thinks-"

Now it was my turn to start snickering.

He stared at me and then realized I was messing with him, so he started to laugh as well.

"Ah, okay. I sorta set myself up for that one. Walked right into it." He paused. "Okay, but in all seriousness though, I don't actually look like-"

I sighed. "Look, I honestly can't tell you. I can't really see that well right now, in case you didn't notice."

"Oh yeah, I heard about that whole…incident. You've got some brass balls, man, I'll give you that. You get major props in my book. I'm so glad I dropped out before I ever had to get into Frollo's class. I would have had him next year."

At the mention of Frollo's name, a whole host of recent memories started flashing in my mind. His sneering face. The special strain of pepper spray. The horrible pain and the blindness. Getting milk poured on my face and in my eyes, then passing out in a van.

And now waking up here, with this antagonistic little imp.

"How old are you?" I asked him.

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen?"

He sighed. "I know I don't look it. I've always looked young for my age. I sorta believe I'm never gonna grow up, honestly. But that's how I like it. Adults suck major butt anyway."

It was suddenly very obvious who he was.

"Peter Pan…no effing way…" I whispered, actually feeling a little star-struck to be completely 100% honest. His was the first Disney animated classic I had ever seen. My parents said that when I was only a couple months old, they were watching 'Peter Pan' with me and whenever the crocodile came on with his music, I would raise my eyebrows up and down like the crocodile would raise his eyes. (Clearly a sign that I was a Disney prodigy.)

Shit, my parents. I wondered if I would ever see them again.

I felt a weird lump in my throat so quickly pushed the thought from my mind. It was only my second day here (though it already felt like an eternity), so it made no sense to start worrying yet. I had plenty of time to get my shit together and fulfill the requirements to make it home. And maybe even have fun doing it, although so far my stay had more closely resembled getting tonsils removed without anesthesia.

I hoped there would be plenty of sweet ice cream to look forward to, if you know what I mean.

"Hey, did you just say my name?" Peter asked, shaking me from my thoughts. His question wasn't in exactly the friendliest tone I'd ever heard in my life.

"That depends. Is it Peter?"

"Who told you my name? They haven't been talking about me at school, have they?"

I blinked, confused. Why was he sounding so mad?

"Has who been talking about you at school?"

"Al and the girls. Or anyone! How do you know who I am?"

I decided I needed to make something up. "I…uh…I think I heard someone say it while I was unconscious. Like, I was half awake or something, I don't know."

"How dumb do I look?"

"I dunno, I can't really see that well. Pretty dumb, I'm guessing?"

"Ha. No, seriously. Where'd you hear it?"

"That's my answer, man. It's not like I was drugged or anything. I was just in shock, I think. I heard things people were saying. They must have said your name."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Well…I don't know what to tell you."

"Liar, liar, pants on fire."

"Your maturity is astounding, but that reminds me. I don't actually have any pants. You don't happen to know what happened to them, do you? And you can skip the morning-after routine this time around, thanks."

Peter gave a wry half-smile. "I think they're washing them. But those things might have to be trashed, honestly. I've been pepper sprayed before too and I know how hard it is to get it off of you."

"So are you some kind of delinquent then, Mr. Pan?" I asked.

He grinned and turned his thumb and forefinger into a pistol. "Wouldn't you like to know? I don't think I can answer that, though."

"Fair enough, I guess. Could you at least tell me what time it is?"

Peter laughed. "I have no idea, man."

"Don't you have a watch, or a phone, or something?"

He shook his head. "That crap's for adults who rot in an office all day. I don't really keep track of time or days of the week or anything like that." He winked. (At least I think he did). "It's a very freeing existence."

I guessed I couldn't really be surprised that the Boy of Eternal Youth would have that kind of answer or lifestyle, but I did wonder how he managed to survive in the real world, or whatever this was.

Peter started walking for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Out. I just wanted to catch a peek at the person causing all the commotion, but I don't wanna stick around for the explosion. I just thought somebody who could get the whole school to hate him in only two days might be kind of cool."

"Did I pass?"

Peter shrugged again. "Eh." A thought seemed to pop in his head and he added, "Hey, do me a favor though. Forget that you met me."

"Why?"

"Just pretend I'm a dream that you had. I don't like people knowing about me."

"Knowing about you?"

"That's right. I don't mind them talking about me so much. I enjoy the notoriety. But direct contact? Not so much." He grinned. "It's a good thing you can't really see."

"For you maybe," I said with a sigh, rubbing my sore eyes.

Peter tapped the door with his hand, lingering for only a second more. "Yup. All right, see you later, chief. Remember! This was all just a dreeeeam…"

And with that, he slipped away outside.

I was alone in the room now. I also couldn't hear the other voices anymore. I strained to sit up and tried to decide if I could get up and look around at my surroundings. I didn't really want to go poking around too much wearing nothing but my drawers, but I also had no real idea where I was. I couldn't even tell if I was in a house, an apartment, or what.

But my skin still felt raw and my throat was still killing me. Touching the back of my pillow, I realized that it was slightly damp, as was my underwear, as though I had been wet earlier and though my hair and body had dried, the materials had not yet.

That probably meant that somebody had tossed me in a shower or something and scrubbed the pepper spray residue off me. On one hand, I was grateful. On the other, I was a little self-conscious. I wondered if it had been a boy or a girl, or multiple people, and how much of me they had seen. The underwear I was wearing was the same I had been wearing at school, so there was a chance they didn't catch a glimpse of my unmentionables.

Then again, who knew if they had snuck a peek, which would make the first time anybody in this world had seen me naked a time when I was unconscious and covered in milk, chemicals, and vomit.

I laid my head back and groaned.

"Fuck me…"

"Oh, well I'm honored, but unfortunately I'm not on the list…"

Hearing the raspy voice caused me to shoot my head back up like a rocket and open my eyes.

I could see a grinning, disembodied feline head hovering above the same dresser Peter Pan had been hanging out on.

"You!" I said, feeling all kinds of pissed. "Where the hell were you during this whole miserable ordeal?"

The Cheshire Cat giggled. "Oh I was there. I was there the whole time! And let me tell you, it was very entertaining. You didn't disappoint! I'm extra pleased, because I was the one who encouraged Meeko to wait in the bushes for you in the first place. All it took was a little nudge, really, he was very compliant."

I frowned. "Meeko?"

"Haven't you seen 'Pocahontas'? You know, the raccoon?"

I did. "What the hell, man?! Why would you do that?!"

The Cat started floating dreamily through the air until he landed on the end of the bed, that infuriating grin never leaving his face.

"I was just trying to…wait for it…spice up the action!"

Ugh. I just stared at him, not at all amused.

He burst out laughing at his own stupid pun, then saw that I wasn't laughing, and said, "Hey, come on, that was pretty good, you've got to admit."

"That was lame. You're lame."

"Pepper is a spice!"

"No, I get it, you still suck."

The Cat narrowed his green eyes. "I guess everyone's a critic."

"Do you know how much harder you've made things for me?" I demanded, sitting up as much as I could to glare at him. "I didn't even get through my second day and I'm already in the doghouse! Frollo probably wants to kill me now!"

"He wants to kill everyone. Everyone who doesn't fit into his impossible standards of piousness. Don't think you're so special."

"Yeah, well I could have at least floated under the radar! Now I'm sitting nice and pretty alone atop his shit list! He's probably planning his revenge right now!"

"Hey, you should be thanking me! I've sped everything up for you."

"Yeah, my expulsion!"

The Cat rolled his eyes. "No, you simpleton. You weren't going to get much action in Ariel's little hoarding dungeon. And you're too much of a wet blanket to go after her anyway. You whined that you wanted an upgrade, and now look where you are."

"Then where am I, exactly?" I asked.

"The Court of Miracles, of course!"

"There doesn't seem to be anything miraculous about this dump."

"It's better than the tetanus infection waiting to happen that you were slumming in last night!"

That much at least was probably true. But I still didn't know what or where 'The Court of Miracles' was, or who else populated it.

"How am I gonna go back to school now?" I asked him. "Assuming I find out where the hell I actually am first."

The Cat yawned. "Catch a ride with someone, hitchhike, I don't care, I'm not your mom."

"No, I don't mean literally. I mean, how do I go back to school after the way we left? Aren't we gonna be in a shitload of trouble?"

The Cat shrugged. "All you guys did was play hooky, really. Ditched class a little early, threatened a teacher, coerced the head of campus police, you know, small time stuff. Nothing worth getting your panties in a bunch about. So you might get a few detentions or something, who cares?"

"A few detentions." I nearly laughed at the absurdity of his understatement, but there was nothing really funny about it. "You realize that I just endured the worst pain I've ever felt because of an accident that happened off-campus, right? An accident that you caused, and that I was completely innocent in. And as punishment, I got doused in some mutant strain of pepper spray Satan himself probably pissed out."

"But you overcame it, did you not?" the Cat asked me, suddenly looking way too excited. "Did you ever think you had it in you? Do you think you could have handled that back in your own world, in your own comfortable, unremarkable life?"

"Who cares?!" I demanded. "I thought the whole reason I'm here is to try and pork princesses!"

"No, that's your mission," corrected the Cat. "Why you're here is something different altogether."

"And what's that?"

"Why, it's all about personal growth, of course! A journey of self-discovery! You know the type, you've seen it before!"

I rolled my eyes. "I knew you were gonna try and Disney-fy me before long."

He chuckled. "You're trying to prove something to us and perhaps we're trying to prove something to you. And get entertained in the process. That's not a new development."

"Okay, who's this 'we' you're talking about? How many people are you working with, and how are you doing all this?"

"Don't question the specifics, kid," said the Cat. "Trust me on that one. It's far beyond you or me. I didn't create the demand, I can only help provide the supply."

I shook my head. "This isn't what I signed up for. Being homeless and getting tortured."

"Welcome to the not-so-magical world of Disney! I thought you turned your nose up at how things happen in our stories! I thought you would be Pimp-King of the World by now!"

"This kind of thing never happened in any of the movies!"

"Then be grateful that you're an original. And this isn't a movie."

"I need to figure out where I am," I said, now motivated to try and at least find some clothes. "And who I'm with."

"Esmeralda and Meg live here!" said the Cat. "Ta-da! You're welcome."

I was unconvinced. "It doesn't look like a girl lives here."

"Not in this room, you nincompoop. This building. Along with Aladdin, Mowgli, Quasimodo, Peter, your little friend Jim…"

"Well I need to find one of those people."

"Just sit back and relax…try and make yourself look more presentable. You look like hell, if you don't mind my saying so."

"I mind!" I snapped. "Considering it's your fault in the first place!"

"So quick to throw around blame but never so much as a thank you. I mean, here you are, in a perfect set-up, the same building as Meg and Esmeralda, who are both a hundred times more attainable than Belle, who for some reason you've been spending most of your time with."

"I like Belle."

The Cat raised an eyebrow and grinned curiously. "Oh, is that so?"

I stared at him for a second before rolling my eyes. "Not like that, you moron. I'm just saying, I enjoy her company. She's not a complete and total retard."

"So she's not just a one-dimensional cardboard cutout?"

Now I was getting frustrated. "Look, if you think I might be 'falling in love' with anyone, you're dumber than you were drawn to look. And trust me, whoever animated you should be slapped. In the face. With a dick."

"Charming."

I heard voices approaching from outside the door.

"Oh great, I'm practically naked."

"A great position to be in, considering your mission!" said the Cat as he started to disappear from view. "Show the ladies what you're working with!"

The door swung open and Aladdin, Esmeralda, and a third man of similar coloring strode in. The first two looked a little heated but my vision wasn't good enough yet to recognize any expression on the man's face. He was thin, with straight, longish black hair, a long nose, and a goatee. He also had gold earrings and loose fitting, funky-colored clothing. At the moment, his mouth was a straight, emotionless line, but I thought I could see some expressiveness lurking behind the current neutrality of his eyes.

"You're awake," said Esmeralda, and she smiled at me. "How are you feeling?"

"Alive," I said. "Which is more than I could have said an hour ago…or, actually, how long have I been out for?"

"It's almost five."

I blinked in surprise. "Oh man. I had no idea I was asleep that long."

"Do you have a family you need to call?" asked the man. "Anyone who might be looking for you? We checked your phone but it had no numbers on it…"

I could tell that they were a little spooked by this. After all, who had a phone but no numbers?

I decided to make up a lie that they might accept. "I…uh…sorta borrowed my phone recently. I haven't put any numbers in it yet."

"You borrowed it?"

"Uh…make that stole."

They all looked at each other, a little more at ease. Stealing was something they were all familiar with. I, however, was someone with whom they weren't.

"My name is Clopin," said the man in his melodious voice. "I'm Aladdin's and Esmeralda's uncle. They told me what happened today at your school. I'm sorry what you were put through. But you must understand, Claude Frollo has been making life miserable for people around here for many, many years now. It is an unjust world we live in, and the system is not meant to protect those of us who have very little. Do you come from a family with the means to protect you?"

"I'm not sure what you-"

"He's asking if your family has money," said Aladdin.

"Oh," I said. "Uh, no. I'm poor as dirt."

"Welcome to the club," muttered Aladdin bitterly.

"Frollo thinks he can prey on those who are too weak or poor to defend themselves," said Clopin. "And unfortunately he's right. I suspected you came from humble means, otherwise he would have never targeted you. A harsh reality of our existence."

"I don't want any problems with Frollo," I said, "or with anyone. He's an asshole, but I'm not trying to fight a war against him. I didn't purposely provoke him or anything."

"But you messed with the superintendent's daughters," said Esmeralda.

"I didn't do anything to them!"

"If you were at all involved in any foul play concerning such affluent and notable students like Triton's daughters," said Clopin, "then that is something Frollo and his ilk cannot tolerate. Not at your rung in the social ladder."

"There was nothing I could do," I said. "He blamed me for something I had almost nothing to do with, then he put a horribly unfair task in front of me, expecting me to fail, and I went and completed it. It almost killed me, but I completed it."

"You wouldn't have if Esmeralda hadn't stepped in," Aladdin said, glaring at his cousin, who glared defiantly right back at him.

"This is our problem," sighed Clopin. "I'm sure you're a perfectly fine person, but our family and neighborhood has a long, dark history against Frollo and this state's corrupt judicial system. When Esmeralda intervened to assist you, and the others jumped in, our little extended family got placed right into Frollo's crosshairs. Now I fear that he will have extra motivation to come after us all."

"But isn't he just a vice-principal, for Chrissakes? How much power can he have?"

Clopin shook his head. "He used to be a provincial judge. It is only in recent years that he became a full time educator. He used to do both, and he still has strong ties to the provincial and city police. But do not let his titles fool you, he is a very unjust man."

"Yeah I figured that one out on my own…" I muttered.

"Your family is probably worried about you," said Clopin. "Perhaps you should call them."

"Not really," I said. "I don't have anyone looking after me."

Clopin's eyebrow rose. "No family?"

"It's complicated…"

Clopin gazed at my face for a long while before he clapped his hands, his mood lightening a significant degree, which made me suspect how genuine it was. "Well. In that case, you are welcome to stay here in our building tonight if you are not feeling well enough to leave. If you need a ride somewhere, that can be arranged also."

"Thank you," I said. "I appreciate you guys helping me out. I swear, I didn't try to get mixed up in any of this."

"I am hoping that the consequences will be minimal," said Clopin. "The school has already called me concerning today's incident. They sounded somewhat remorseful on the message. Of course, that is likely a smokescreen." He looked at Aladdin and Esmeralda. "Make sure that our guest is comfortable and fed. Any exploited and downtrodden soul is welcome here at the Court of Miracles if he wishes no harm upon anyone who doesn't deserve it."

He took a step away and then stopped to quietly add, "He is your responsibility for the night. Don't let him wander." Then he turned, smiled, and waved his hand at me. "I hope you make a quick recovery. Tonight, you are among friends."

"That's a relief," I said. "Thank you."

Clopin bowed his head at me and then stepped out of the room.

Aladdin immediately turned to Esmeralda.

"He's your responsibility, got that? It wasn't my idea to bring him here."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah whatever, Al. You don't have to keep trying to prove what an asshole you are. We all already know."

"Hey, Aladdin," I said. "Or…Al. Look, man, I'm sorry if you guys are in a bad position because of me. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. If there's anything I can do to make it up to you guys, I'll do it."

He looked at me and then sighed, softening a little. "I know it's not your fault, man. Frollo is a piece of shit; nobody's debating that. But we run a tight operation here and we still don't know shit about you. Like, at all. And in my life, I have to play everything close to the chest…it's how I stay alive. So don't expect to be automatically welcomed with open arms. It doesn't work that way out here. It's a harsh world we live in, nothing personal."

"I understand," I said. "I don't expect anything. I just want to exist and not attract the attention of anybody psychotic for a change."

Aladdin smiled for the first time. "You should avoid Esmeralda then."

"Oh please," she said. "If he needs to avoid anyone, it's you and Meg. Unless he wants to get a vase thrown at his head during one of your million fights."

"Hey, we apologized for that."

"Empty words don't make the bump on my head go away."

"Yeah, well he doesn't have to worry about that," Aladdin said, "because he's not staying at our place tonight. Too much sensitive material he could see. He might be a spy." He cast a glance at me that made me unsure of if he was kidding or not. I got the impression that, though it was a joke on the surface, underneath he was quite serious.

"Is that what you call your chronic fornication now?" Esmeralda asked. "Sensitive material?"

"Funny," Aladdin said. "But seriously. He ain't staying in our place. So he can stay in here and someone keep an eye on him or I don't know what. Maybe you can beg Jim to stay in here with him. He said they've met already."

"We'll figure it out," she responded.

"Whatever," he said. He nodded at me. "Catch you later, New Guy. Don't go poking around anything you shouldn't be." He paused then added, "Now that doesn't include my cousin, so if you happen to get lucky tonight, feel free to-"

"Oh shut up, Aladdin!" Esmeralda said. "Get the hell out of here."

He maintained eye contact with me and pointed, then finally gave Esmeralda a leering grin and walked out of the room.

And then it was just the two of us left in there, her standing, and me on the bed, almost completely naked under the sheets. Here before me was a girl with about as perfect a body as I'd ever seen, and then there was me…dumb, mediocre-looking me, trapped in the unworthy shell that I had spent my life bumbling around in for twenty-odd years before ending up here.

I suddenly felt very self-conscious.

Esmeralda seemed to pick up on that and she gingerly took a step forward, grinning at me as I burrowed a little lower under the sheets.

"Are you cold?" she asked me.

"No," I said before seeing the Cat floating behind her. He nodded and excitedly gestured his paws, goading me to try and be smooth (which I didn't really see a way to pull off, considering the circumstance).

But I decided to take a swing at it.

"Why? Are you cold?" I asked, trying to settle into an alluring positioning.

"Am I cold?"

"Yeah. You trying to climb in here?" I winked. "There's room."

"Pshh!" she scoffed. "In that bed? Ew. I'd never."

"We can go somewhere else if you'd like," I said casually.

Esmeralda smiled. "Oh, I think you look pretty comfortable right where you are."

"I'm in a strange bed, in a strange room, alone, in just my chonies. And I don't know where the rest of my clothes are. Trust me, I'm not comfortable."

She sat down on the edge of the bed, a lot of space between us. (But still not as much as if she had been standing.) "Yeah you're not gonna be using those anymore. Your clothes, I mean."

I grinned. "I'm liking the sound of this already."

She laughed. "You sure are frisky for someone who was in horrible pain not very long ago."

"I'm just trying to make the best of this strange situation I've found myself in."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't mind some company, and maybe a little tender loving care, to get me through this tough time."

"Want some soup?" she asked suddenly. "Jim brought a bunch of leftovers from the Benbow last night. Meg is heating a big pot of it up for us. We thought it might help you, since you're sorta sick, kinda. Are you even hungry?"

I thought about it and realized I was starving.

"I don't know what the Benbow is, but I'm super hungry."

"It's an inn and a diner that he and his mom work at. Meg and I help out around there too sometimes. All the food has that old-fashioned home-cooked taste. Does that meet your approval?"

"Most definitely."

"Then in that case, I will have a nice hot bowl of soup delivered up to you here very shortly," Esmeralda said. "How's that for tender loving care?"

"Not exactly what I had in mind, but I guess it'll do for now."

"Oh you guess?" she asked, scooting a bit closer to me. She smirked. "And what exactly did you have in mind?"

I pretended like I was thinking. "That depends. How long do we have before our food arrives?"

Esmeralda started laughing, which was not wholly the response I was going for. "You're funny. You're really trying to be smooth, sitting there in your Batman underwear."

I narrowed my eyes. "Wait, how do you know that?"

"Know what?" she asked innocently.

"That I'm wearing Batman underwear!"

She snickered. "What, am I detecting a hint of self-consciousness from Mr. Smooth all of a sudden? There's a curveball I wasn't expecting."

"I'm just worried you wouldn't be able to resist keeping your hands off me in my unconscious state. You might have tried to take advantage of me, especially in my sexy superhero undergarments."

"Tempting as that was for me," said Esmeralda, "you'll be happy to know then that Quasimodo was kind enough to handle your stripping and scrubbing. I'm sure he respected your boundaries, but you can ask him if you're still nervous about it."

"I don't think that'll be necessary."

"Good." Esmeralda stood up. "Hey, can I ask you a kinda random question?"

"Okay…"

"Are you Jewish?"

I slowly frowned. "Jewish? No. Why would you think I'm Jewish?"

"Well, I mean, you're circumcised and all, so I thought…"

My jaw dropped and then I lunged at her as she jumped out of my reach, laughing hysterically.

"I knew you were a pervert!" I exclaimed.

She tauntingly blew a kiss at me and then turned and darted out the door while I struggled to get out of the blankets to go after her.

When I ran out of the room to catch her, I almost tripped because my legs felt wobbly, but I kept going, and ran through the mostly empty den until I finally lost my balance and went tumbling.

Esmeralda stopped running and looked back at me. Seeing me on my hands and knees, she let out a laugh, then stopped and bit her lip.

"Are you okay?"

I grunted and tried to push myself up. "I guess my head is still woozy."

She gave a dramatic sigh. "I guess I'll have to help you then…"

She trotted over to me, then bent over to help pick me up, putting my arm around her shoulder, which pressed our bodies together.

I found myself gazing into her eyes again. She was too close to go anywhere, what with holding me up, and me in nothing but boxer-briefs. Her breast was pressed against my chest and her hip against my hip, with my arm around her shoulder and neck, putting our faces intimately close. Esmeralda didn't seem intimidated by the contact however, and we held our gazes for a good couple seconds before she said, "You're heavier than you look."

"Then you're weaker than you look," I said.

"I can drop you."

"Please don't."

"Why do I get the impression you're faking just so you can be half-naked and pressed up against me?"

I grinned. "I'll never admit to that."

Esmeralda flashed her pearly whites at me. "You're sneakier than I gave you credit for. I think you would fit in here. Are you sure you're not secretly a long-lost cousin of ours?"

"God, I hope not. Otherwise that's gonna make what I'm thinking about really creepy."

She shook her head, amused. "It's probably creepy anyway. Let's get you back to your gross little bed."

She helped me get back to it and I climbed back in, unfortunately alone. But I really was too woozy and rubber-limbed to be traipsing around chasing after flirtatious gypsy girls.

I eyed Esmeralda as she looked around for a chair or something to sit on.

"There's a seat right here next to me," I said innocently.

"Yeah I see that one," she said. "I'm looking for another one."

"Well I don't know where the hell I am so I can't help you."

Esmeralda found the remote to the TV. "Wanna watch TV while we wait?"

"Not really, no."

She smirked. "Well, I do. So that's what we're gonna do. And just so that nobody gets the wrong idea when they get here, I'm gonna go get you a robe out of the bathroom. I'm pretty sure there's one in there."

"Suit yourself," I said, not at all ungrateful to get the chance to cover up a little. "Whose place is this, by the way?"

"Nobody's. It's one of the empty apartments we use sometimes."

I frowned. "And you guys just picked the lock or…?"

Esmeralda laughed. "No. We have access to all the apartments in this whole complex. This is your first time inside the Court of Miracles, isn't it?"

"What kind of name is that for a building complex?"

"It's kind of a joke," she said, "but it goes beyond just being the name of a building. It's a cultural thing. A lot of down-on-their luck people live here. Some kids without homes or parents. We're like one big family, sort of. My uncle runs things around here, along with his partners. It's kind of notorious around Neverland. Hard to get in, but if you're not a welcomed guest, almost impossible to get out. Not to scare you or anything."

"Did you say Neverland?" I asked.

"Yeah, that's the name of this part of the city. I don't know what part you live in or how much you've explored town, but this is probably the part people have told you to avoid. It's sort of like our own world here. The snobs in Atlantica call it 'the ghetto,' and yeah, there's a lot of crime, but there's also way more heart and culture here than they could ever try to pay for with all their money. Some things can't be bought, you know?"

I thought about this while Esmeralda went off to fetch me the robe.

Apparently, this was the "hood" part of Disney City that Belle claimed she lived just outside of. The rich people lived in Atlantica, and the school was in the nondescript suburban-looking part of town in between the two districts, or whatever they called the different sections. It actually made a little more sense that the gangs in Neverland would look like pirates. And that Peter Pan would be cavorting around out here on these streets.

When Esmeralda returned with the robe (a hideous, ratty green monstrosity that I reluctantly put on), I asked her, "Hey, uh, so are there any groups called 'the Lost Boys' around here?"

My question seemed to catch her off guard.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I'm just wondering is all."

She stared at me suspiciously. "Where would you even hear about them? You haven't heard about Neverland, but you've heard about the Lost Boys? Something doesn't gel."

"I've heard of Neverland, I just didn't know that's where I was. And I've seen the pirates, so I assumed that there's probably some Lost Boys running around too."

Even though it was just the two of us, Esmeralda looked around, before going right up to me and whispering, "Okay, see, that is exactly the kind of question that's gonna get you in trouble if Al or my uncle hear you ask it."

"Why?"

"You can't just ask about gangs without sounding like a cop or something."

"So they're a gang."

"Well, that's what other people call them," Esmeralda said, sounding a little frustrated. "They're just a crew of orphaned boys who had nobody to look after them, but have found safety with each other. It's tough out here in Neverland. You need people watching your back. And I'll tell you another thing, they're a helluva lot better than the Pirates, trust me. At least the Lost Boys don't run around stabbing or raping innocent people. The Lost Boys don't hurt anybody but Pirates."

A little smile was on my face. "So they stay here, don't they?"

She looked nervous. "I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to. I can tell by the way you talked about them. They hide out here, at the Court of Miracles, don't they? Probably staying in all these empty apartments you guys have access to."

"You really need to stop with this line of questioning before you piss off the wrong person," said Esmeralda, her face uneasy. "Nosy people don't last long around this neighborhood."

"Look, I'm not taking any sides here," I said. "You can tell that I'm obviously not tight with people like Frollo. I have more in common with you guys than I do with anybody else in this town."

"What makes you think that?"

"Well I'm not a real stickler for rules or laws, as you can probably tell by now," I said with a smile, scooting a little closer to her. "And I guess you could say I'm an orphan too."

She frowned, searching my face. "What do you mean, you could 'say' you're an orphan?"

Before I could answer, we heard the front door opening and several voices, both male and female.

"Esme, are you here?" Meg's voice called.

"Back here!" Esmeralda turned back to me and pointed, whispering, "We'll finish this conversation later."

I heard footsteps and then saw that they belonged to Meg, Jim, Quasimodo, and Mowgli. Quasi was carrying a big pot, and the other two boys had bowls and spoons. Meg, probably because she had done the cooking (or the heating up), had avoided having to carry anything.

"New Guy!" Jim exclaimed. "What's up? How you feeling?"

"I've been better," I said.

Meg looked around. "There's nowhere to sit in here."

"I don't think he can really get up right now," said Esmeralda, glancing at me. "He's still pretty weak."

"We can get some chairs out of the kitchen," said Jim.

Soon, they had set up a little eating area around me on the bed. There were only two chairs, which Jim and Meg occupied, while Esmeralda and Quasi sat on the bed next to me, and Mowgli unsurprisingly sat on the floor.

Jim quickly filled me in on how fast the tale of our exploits had spread through the school.

"You guys are all anyone could talk about," he said to me. "And you're pretty much already a legend, at this point."

"Great," I said uneasily. "Exactly what I want to be."

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but signs pointed to no.

"Clopin got a call from Ms. Maleficent herself," Meg said, sounding a little awed at this information. "That's how you know it's a big deal."

Esmeralda's eyes narrowed. "He didn't say it was her who called. What'd she say?"

"She's anxious to have a face-to-face with all of us and our guardians, to settle this matter and 'put it behind us all.' So that means she probably called my mom. It actually makes me happy for once to think of all the cussing that had to come from her when she got that call. If there's one person in the world who deserves it…"

I thought about my lack of guardians and wondered whether that would complicate matters further for me.

"Is Frollo gonna be there?" Esmeralda asked.

Meg's nose crinkled in disgust. "Apparently. Since he was directly involved and all."

"Do not go," said Jim. "You couldn't pay me a million bucks to be in that room."

"You could pay me a million bucks!" Mowgli exclaimed from the ground. "I'm not scared of no stupid Mr. Frollo or Ms. Malificent!"

"Shut up, Mowgli," said Meg impatiently. "So what do you think, Esme? Should we just drop out and never go back? I know that would send my mother over the moon. She loves saying 'I told you so.' Dumb bitch."

"I don't think we have a choice," said Esmeralda. "When do they want to have the meeting?"

"Before class. At like, 7, or something equally disgustingly early."

"Gross," said Jim.

"Have you heard Clopin say anything?" asked Esmeralda.

"I think he's willing," Meg replied. "Obviously, he doesn't want us dropping out. Not that he really cares about our educations or anything…we know he's just trying to make a few bucks out of-"

Esmeralda gave her a pointed glance and then looked at me, which shut Meg up pretty quickly. Obviously, I was annoyed by this.

"Sure, let's just exclude Shane because he doesn't feel alienated and alone enough," I grumbled.

"Hey, we risked a lot for you," Esmeralda said. "That doesn't mean you have to know all our business."

"Trust me," said Meg. "We're not that glamorous. Nothing interesting about us. Just boring old everyday run-of-the-mill high school seniors. You could find us at any other school in America."

Esmeralda rolled her eyes. "Don't oversell it, Meg."

"Yeah, anyway, I couldn't really talk to Clopin much about it. Aladdin is with him right now and they're both in a bad mood."

"About me?" I asked, not wanting to make any more enemies than I already had.

"No, no," Meg reassured me. "They're worried about other stuff, nothing to do with you or what happened today." She glanced at Esmeralda. "I think they're waiting for Fagin right now."

"Fagin's a dumb-ass," Mowgli commented.

"Hush," said Esmeralda. "Does this mean they're gonna be meeting with You-Know-Who tonight?"

"I think so," said Meg.

Quasimodo visibly shuddered and looked down at his soup.

"I'm not jealous," said Jim.

I let out a loud sigh. "I can just go into another room if my presence here is too inconvenient for you guys."

"No you can't," said Esmeralda. "You'll trip and everyone will see your Batman undies again."

Everyone but me started laughing.

"You're wearing Batman undies?" Mowgli asked me in disbelief. "How old are you, seven?"

"BATMAN IS A TRUE AMERICAN HERO!" I screamed, probably a little angrier than I should have. (What can I say, I'm very passionate about the Caped Crusader.)

"O-kay," said Esmeralda, patting me on the knee, "I think the patient is a little overstimulated right now. It might be time for him to take another nap."

"I'm not tired," I said.

"I gotta dip anyway," said Jim. "Mom should be finishing up right now so I better walk her home. Wanna come with, Quasi?"

Quasimodo looked at Esmeralda and then at me, and I got the impression that he wasn't altogether thrilled about the current arrangement of her acting as my nurse.

"Well, I was going to help Esmeralda keep Shane company-"

"No, go on, Quasi," said Esmeralda dismissively. "We'll be fine. Go help Sarah protect Jim. We know he needs it."

"Funny," said Jim. "I remember why I dated you now. It was that charming sense of humor."

Esmeralda leaned forward with her arms squeezed together, displaying her formidable cleavage. "Are you sure that's what it was?"

"Don't flatter yourself, toots," said Jim. "I've seen better."

"Ms. Yzma, right?"

"Ugh!"

"Don't lie, babe, I know you've always had a thing for her."

"I bet you guys have lots of hot sex," said Meg, jumping onboard the rag-on-Jim bandwagon. "Like, I bet you can't keep your hands off her. I bet she gets wet just looking at you."

"Gross!" exclaimed Mowgli.

"You're disgusting," said Jim, getting out of his chair. "Both of you. I'm ashamed that the two of you would act so un-ladylike when we have a guest here."

"Trust me," I said, "I've already gotten a taste of it."

Meg winked at me. "You wish you've had a taste."

"I'm getting out of here," said Mowgli. "You're both nasty."

"Good, go on," said Meg. "You're just an annoying little skid-mark anyway, Mowgli."

"Up yours, Meg!"

"I love how well you get along with my little cousin," said Esmeralda. "It's like you're practically siblings, you love each other so much."

"See you later, Shane," said Jim. "Try not to get torn to pieces without me here to distract them."

"Later," I said.

Quasimodo got up also. "Bye, Shane."

"Hey, Quasi," I said. "Thanks for getting me out of there. I didn't get a chance to say it earlier, but you're a stud. Thanks, man."

My thank-you seemed to catch him off-guard, and then made him smile shyly, which made me feel bad. Did nobody ever say nice things to the poor sap?

"Oh, it's…nothing," said Quasi, barely able to look me in the eye. "Don't mention it."

Somewhere inside me, I knew that Quasi was going to be the kind of person you could depend on for anything, no matter how much risk it would put him in. Some people are inherently kind and selfless and, though I hadn't had very much contact with him yet since he hung out with much more dominant personalities, I could tell that Quasimodo was just that type of guy. The kind who gives and asks for nothing in return.

I could only imagine how long his unrequited crush on Esmeralda had been going on for.

When he, Jim, and Mowgli left, Esmeralda and Meg decided to migrate me over to Esmeralda's place. (This was something I was very much in favor of.) I was able to walk through the hallway and down some stairs on my own power until we came to it.

The sun was already set by the time we got there, and I could hear the sounds of traffic and city-life outside. Car horns, dogs barking, tires squealing, sirens. Even a helicopter.

Esmeralda's place was small but very cool. Sexy even. She had a sort of retro vibe going and there were a lot of incense, candles, and lamps everywhere. It looked like a gypsy lived there, but there were still contemporary items indicating that a teenage girl was a resident as well.

"I like your place," I said.

"Thank you," said Esmeralda, and she seemed like she meant it.

"They all like your place," Meg cracked.

"Shut up, Meg." Esmeralda turned to me. "She's joking."

Meg nodded but when Esmeralda turned her back to set her things down, she looked at me and shook her head animatedly. I just smiled, not really worried about whether Esmeralda had a lot of other dudes cycling in and out. If she didn't, cool, she was still hot and I would try my darndest to get lucky. If she did, well then that only helped my chances.

I vaguely wondered what types of STD's they had in this magical world of Disney.

When we were in the main room, Esmeralda crossed her arms and looked at me.

"Now the question is, what to do with you?"

"Well, you only have one bedroom," said Meg, winking at me.

"I know that, Meg. But do I feel bad if I make him sleep on the couch, in his state?"

Meg shrugged. "Your couch is pretty comfortable. Al and I have fallen asleep on it plenty of times. And, of course, used it for other things."

"I prefer the bed then," I said quickly.

Meg snickered. "Esmeralda's bed? If you're worried about the couch-"

"Will you shut up?" Esmeralda asked, shoving her. "I don't even sleep around. You're quadruple the slut I am."

"Am not!"

"Actually," I said. "While you ladies are working…whatever this is out, would it be okay if I took a shower?"

"He wants to use your shower," Meg said, quite unhelpfully.

Esmeralda sighed. "We already scrubbed you pretty good, but all right. Come this way."

Meg smacked my robed ass as I followed her and then winked at me again when I reacted. But I wasn't sure if she was really helping my cause more with her antics, or cockblocking by hitting us both over the head with it.

Esmeralda's bathroom also had a bunch of candles in it, as well as an array of different soaps, salts, and other items that did God knows what. It was rather exotic, at least to a boy like me. My shower at home had nothing but a washcloth, body wash gel, and shampoo in it. I couldn't even imagine what all her stuff was for.

"Your bathroom is quite intimidating," I said. "I'm scared I'm gonna light myself on fire."

"Just don't touch anything that you don't have to," she said. "There are the water nozzles. They're pretty self-explanatory." She paused and said, "You don't…need any help, do you?"

I grinned widely at her and she instinctively pushed me (though thankfully not hard enough to knock me over, which wouldn't be difficult at the moment.)

"I'm serious! Stop being sleazy!"

"Yes, I'm fine," I said. "I can get in the shower by myself, and give you and Meg plenty of time to gossip about me in the other room."

Esmeralda smiled at me as she went to the door. "I won't try to deny it."

I managed to survive the showering process, and felt a lot better afterwards. Hot showers almost always did the trick for me back home and I was grateful to get the chance to take my first conscious one since I had arrived to this realm.

When I had toweled myself off and gotten back into the tattered old robe and the only pair of underwear I had available, I went back out to the living room.

Nobody was there.

Esmeralda came walking out of her bedroom behind me.

"Where's Meg?" I asked.

"She went back to her place. I guess Al and my uncle are going out to conduct some business tonight, so she wanted to see him off. He gets stressed out sometimes, as you've probably already seen."

"Oh," I said, feeling just a wee bit awkward all of a sudden. "So, uh, where-"

"Come with me," Esmeralda said abruptly. "This way."

I slowly followed her back into her bedroom. It was mostly purple and only slightly messy, with a few articles of clothing and some shoes lying around, but she didn't seem embarrassed, which I found attractive. Just from being there at all made me unable to keep from but smiling gleefully at her.

Unfortunately, she rolled her eyes at me.

"Don't get too excited. I'm gonna let you sleep in my bed tonight because you're still recovering, but I'm going to be on the couch."

"The couch?" I questioned. "That's no fun. Why don't you-"

"If you harass me," Esmeralda warned me with a flirtatious smile, "I will banish you to the couch and I'll sleep in here."

I sighed. "Whatever. Wanna tuck me in at least?"

She shook her head, but she was smiling. "Oh, all right."

I took off my robe, unable to resist winking seductively at her (which just made her laugh.) Undeterred, I climbed into her bed and I just have to say it was one of the most comfortable beds I have ever been on. The sheets and comforter were all soft and purple and I felt like I could fall asleep immediately if I just closed my eyes for a moment. Plus, it smelled wonderful. I'm not even really sure what scent it was, but it was definitely feminine and something about it made me extra sleepy.

Esmeralda leaned over me to grab some of her extra pillows to put on the ground, and it took all of my self-control not to reach up and grab her pillows, if you know what I mean. (Insert Rowan Atkinson meme face here.)

But I refrained, and after she had put her stuff where she wanted it, she sat on the edge of the bed next to me and fluffed up a pillow for me to lean back on.

"Your bed is the most incredible bed I've ever been in," I said, not even really lying.

"It is pretty great, isn't it?" she asked, smiling from where she sat with maybe a foot and a half of space between us.

"I don't know if it's the bed or if I'm just super tired. Or maybe I have a concussion and if I fall asleep I'll die. You might need to keep a closer eye on me to make sure I don't fall asleep and die. I can think of some activities…"

I thought she might hold true to her threat and send me to the couch, but fortunately she didn't.

"Huh," she commented after a moment. "I didn't notice you ever hit your head. I saw you throw up, though. All over the place. And boy, did you ever cry!"

I glared at her. "It's called tear gas. It's literally impossible not to cry."

"It's okay to cry, Shane. I don't judge. It's good for boys to be in touch with their feminine sides. Maybe you could teach all the tough guys at school how to be more sensitive."

"I'm not in touch with my feminine side!"

"Sure you are. I mean, what kind of boy cries in front of the whole classroom and needs a girl to rescue him?"

This was not going well. I started sulking.

"That's a low blow. I thought I was gonna die."

Esmeralda grinned broadly and put her arms around my shoulders. (Note to self: your best bet may be to try and get laid out of pity.)

"I'm just kidding!" she said, trying not to laugh. "Don't start crying again!"

"I'm not crying!"

She let go of me and got control of her laughter. "I know, I know. You were incredibly brave today. Really. That's why I helped you."

"You're really coming under fire for that, aren't you?"

"I don't care," she said. "Frollo doesn't scare me. He's just a big, creepy old bully. If he thinks he can intimidate me into trembling with fear every time he looks my way, just like everyone else, then his wrinkly ass has got another thing coming."

"You are one bad-ass bitch," I said, "with all due respect."

"Why thank you," she said. "And might I add, respectfully, that you too are one bad-ass bitch."

"I hate you."

"Aww, don't hate me, hon. I'm just trying to engage in pleasant banter."

"Is that what you call flirting?"

"Is that what this is?"

"You tell me."

"I don't know. Only one of us is naked."

"You should fix that," I said, keeping the flow going with as charming a smile as I could muster.

A seductive look entered her emerald eyes.

"You're right," she purred. "I think I will."

My heart started to pound. This might be it! Sexual conquest number one! And with maybe the hottest girl here, and only on my second night!

Jim was right! I was a legend!

I prayed my body was recovered enough to cooperate. (It seemed to be telling me that it was, judging from certain unintentional anatomical responses.)

Still staring at me with those ridiculous green eyes, Esmeralda started to lean in close to my face. I started to lean in too, until we were mere inches apart. I closed my eyes…

…and got a face full of T-shirt.

I opened my eyes in confusion. Esmeralda was grinning and holding a little white tank top in her hand that she had probably grabbed off of the ground.

"Put this on so that there's not only one of us who's naked," she said to me.

I snatched it out of her hands, really irritated now.

"You are so clever," I grumbled. "So very clever. You got me good, oh yes you did."

She just laughed. "You sure are frisky for somebody who was in horrible pain not that long ago."

I looked at the shirt. "I should actually put this on right now and stretch it out so you can't ever wear it again."

"Go ahead!" she said. "I think it'll be a really flattering top on you. It'll really accentuate your bust line. I have to ask, are those things real?"

I glared at her. "Are yours?"

She ran her fingers lightly over her ample chest, and I became even more grateful that there was a blanket covering my lower body. "All natural and home grown. Got em from my mama. The only things she ever gave me that I'm grateful for."

I guess I was staring because she suddenly crossed her arms around herself and said, "Excuse me, sir! You're making me blush! Please remember your manners!"

"I doubt you've ever been embarrassed in your whole life," I said. "Not looking like that."

"Oh, I don't know. Everyone has awkward stages. I got boobs when I was, like, twelve. That was horrible. Everybody was in training bras and I had bigger tits than the saleswoman."

"Your awkward stage is something most girls would aspire to reach in their primes."

Esmeralda shrugged. "I guess. I don't really care for the back pain though. That's why I make sure to stretch a lot."

She grabbed her leg and effortlessly pulled it up behind her head, grinning at me.

"Oh my god…" I moaned. "That's just not fair."

"It's not that difficult, I bet you could do it too if you practiced enough. Yoga is your friend, babe."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," I said.

She was playing dumb. "I'm sorry, I just don't understand your discomfort…?"

She continued to stretch provocatively, clearly enjoying my agony.

"Okay, how do you do this right next to me and expect me to keep my hands off?" I asked. "Seriously. This is cruel and unusual punishment."

Esmeralda let go of her leg and suddenly leaned close to me, a demure smile appearing on her face, which had thus far been mostly grinning at me in little more than amusement.

"I just enjoy," she said softly, "seeing how long you can resist."

And just like that, the mood had changed. There she was, leaning over me in the dimmed light, her lustrous black hair cascading over her smooth shoulders, and falling around her pretty, outstretched neck like a sable hood. Her chin was pointed out towards me, her full lips half-parted in the tiniest imitation of a smile, her eyes also half open, but staring heavily out at me, daring me to move. And even though it was dark in the room, and my eyes were damaged (or perhaps because they were damaged), I thought I could see the electricity of green emeralds spilling out, entrancing me in the heavily perfumed air and beckoning me forward, and closer, and into the soft welcome.

I'm not sure I even felt my own body moving forward for the kiss.

But I felt her lips, and they were real enough to convince me it wasn't just my imagination.

{Oh snap! Is this story about to graduate from a 'T' to an 'M' rating? I must say, I'm not sure yet. What do you guys want? Haha let me know.

I know this chapter was HUGE so hopefully it's not too much for you guys to digest. We got to meet a couple new characters (Peter Pan, what-what) and got a small glimpse of a very important location for the story, the Court of Miracles, as well as the Neverland district, where we'll be spending a lot of time (when we're not at the school.)

Thanks for all the feedback so far and I'm happy to tell you guys that all the mentioned suggestions for the next diary entry are actually in the works. I'm still deciding if each entry should be its own chapter or if I should split a chapter into two different character entries, giving you guys more to read a little quicker. Keep letting me know who you want to hear from! Because the next chapter is a diary entry for sure (of ALL the times to break from Shane's story, I pick now, right? Annoying, I know haha), and I know who it's from, I'm just deciding whether to add another person's in the same chapter.

One character I want to touch on briefly is Frollo, because I got several requests to see his perspective. I am happy to inform you guys that, though he won't be getting a "diary" chapter per se, he will get his own chapter coming up very soon. I think you guys will dig it a lot. It's already been written in the 3rd person POV (a first for this story) and in a very different voice than Shane's narration so far. (Hooray for writing versatility.) It's creepy but I think it's also a really nice glimpse into Frollo's twisted mind. Excited for you guys to read it.

Anyway, if you guys are good about reviewing, I'll upload the diary chapter soon (because it's pretty much written already, or one of them is at least.) I appreciate all the feedback, even flames (as long as they're colorful and creative.) Hope to hear your thoughts! Thanks!}